


Happy Reunions or: Damnit Sara!

by baldersgratetoo



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Awkward Crush, Awkwardness, Crossover, First Dates, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Meddling, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 11:42:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21457486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baldersgratetoo/pseuds/baldersgratetoo
Summary: Scott gets a congratulatory message from someone he used to have a crush on and Sara, as the older twin feels it is her right to meddle.
Relationships: Male Ryder | Scott/Carver Hawke
Kudos: 6





	Happy Reunions or: Damnit Sara!

**Author's Note:**

> Idea for this story came from the below prompt which can be found [ here](https://masseffectkink.dreamwidth.org/9708.html?thread=45972204), my love of crossovers took over.
> 
> Story Carver Hawke  
Date: 2017-04-08 03:16 am (UTC)
> 
> From: (Anonymous)  
End game when you are in Alec Ryder's room with your twin you can look at the emails of a bunch of people saying thank you. A couple of them are recognizable names.
> 
> I want Carver Hawke in all his kind of sullen glory. Have him flirt with an asari. Have him trying to figure out what he can do with himself. Have him talking about the OTHER Hawke. I just want Carver in Andromeda. For reference, his email says
> 
> SUBJECT: Thanks, I guess.  
I could have helped if I had a SAM.  
C. Hawke
> 
> +++ Anders is there is well, his email says  
SUBJECT: Happy Landing Day!  
Let's blow the roof off the place!  
Anders

'Hey, Scott,' he heard Sara call from their Dad's office. Why did she always do this when he was on the toilet? 'Didn't you used to have a crush on that guy who got dragged everywhere by his big shot brother till he ran off to find himself?'

Scott rolled his eyes. 'You'll have to be more specific,' he yelled back. Unfortunately, it was true. Arcturus saw a lot of spoiled brats dragging around even more spoiled brats and Scott had terrible taste.

'Gerry? Gary? Gareth?' He had to stop this before she listed every name beginning with G except for the right one.

He interrupted before she could get another one out, 'Garrett?'

She snorted, 'no. His brother idiot.'

Sometimes Scott wished he wasn't a brother. All the damn time. He thought about it as he washed up. It was more than a crush if he really thought about it. 'Carver,' he said, and holy fuck he still sounded like an infatuated teenager sighing out his name. 'Carver Hawke,' he clarified, louder, and less breathy as he exited the bathroom to walk up behind his sister. 'Why?'

'Baby bro, if you didn't wash your hands I'm going to snap them off,' was the response he received as he walked up behind her perch at their father's old desk and placed his hands on her shoulders to see what she was looking at. His answer was to rub them in her face.

Eventually recovering from an elbow to the groin and making his way back up from the floor, he made the wise decision to perch on the edge of the coffee table. Safely out of the reach of her bony appendages, he replied. 'I may never be able to have children now, you'll have to carry on the family line.'

'Take that back,' Sara replied deadpan. 'He's sent you an email. I'm pretty sure it is him because he's thanked you in the crappest way possible and said he could have done it too if he had a magic robot in his head.'

As Scott was scrambling back to his feet to look at the screen SAM decided to pipe up, 'I am neither magic nor a robot Sara Ryder. I do not understand why you insist on continuing to refer to me as such. I have corrected you on several occasions.'

His sanity and testicles were too important to him to go anywhere near that argument. As he leant one arm on the desk and another on the back of Sara's chair, he side-eyed her raised eyebrow and elbow and wisely made the decision to move a step away. Planting both hands on the tabletop should be safe; he could only take one crotch shot per civil sibling conversation. He must be the most pathetic galactic saviour ever, afraid of his sister and the voice in his head. Sara flicked back to the email in question.

**Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Ryder**

**From: Hawke, C**

**I could have helped if I had a SAM.**

**C. Hawke**

'If it is him he's obviously matured,' Scott mumbled horrified. Horrified at both how terrible his standards must have been if he used to think Carver was charming, and that he hoped this was said Carver. It was still charming that he sent a thank you note. 'Back then he would have listed all the ways I'd done it wrong. Then all the ways he would have done it better. Then decided at the end, he didn't thank me at all actually and didn't really care about any of it.'

Sara wasn't so much one for self-denial. Or allowing Scott to wallow in it, 'he sounds fucking awful. I wish you a long and happy life together. Reyes dumped you right cos I wanna know if I can have him?'

'Fuck my life,' Scott yelled to Sara's gleeful cackling as he escaped her clutches to attend a meeting with Tann, Addison, and Kesh.

* * *

Tann had labelled the meeting afternoon checkpoint. Scott grumbled to himself. He assumed that meant he'd have to listen to Tann and Addison argue for three hours before asking him to make a decision. Which would allow them to come to an agreement and spend another two hours telling him why he was an idiot. Kesh had a long enough lifespan to find the whole thing thoroughly amusing. That or she spent the entire time playing Blasto games on her OmniTool. That or reading erotic fiction.

About halfway into the torture, he had come to the frightening decision it was the latter. Kesh seemed too happy and wasn't moving her hands enough. His attention was mercifully taken away from either imagining to what she was reading or the migraine-inducing argument when he received a priority message.

**Might want to keep an eye on this one**

**To: Ryder; Kandros**

**From: Ryder, Sara**

**Fw: Happy Landing Day!**

**To: Ryder**

**From: #**

**Let's blow the roof off the place!**

**Anders**

It was a bit weird but not really like someone was threatening to sabotage Meridian. He was pretty sure it was just a cover for her follow up sistering.

**Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Hawke, C**

**Bcc: Ryder**

**From: Ryder**

**Carver,**

**So delightful to hear from you, thank you for your message. I'd love to get a drink and catch up, or dinner, maybe? Are you free this evening?**

**Love,**

**Scott xxx**

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Love? Three kisses? She hacked his fucking email again! Scott was going to kill Sara if he didn't end up dying of embarrassment first.

'Pathfinder, are you even listening to our discussions? These are crucial matters,' Tann's grating voice broke through his panic. Great, now he was panicking about not paying attention and getting asked a question about it. All because he was panicking over his sister sending notes to the guy he had an epic crush on. This was like being back in school. This was Bobby fucking Dobson all over again.

'Err...,' he stalled particularly eloquently.

_"Pathfinder,"_ SAM's voiced sounded inside his skull, _"the Directors are trying to decide between applicants for the senior adjutant position. You have signalled your dislike of both of the candidates on previous occasions. I can discern no practical benefit to choosing one over the other. Nadol is Tann's choice, Brex is Addison's."_

Well great. _"What were Kesh's two cents?"_ he thought back.

_"Nakmor Kesh suggested unpleasant things should happen to each of the candidates and that the Pathfinder should choose whichever pile of excrement he preferred the smell of."_

Scott glared at Kesh, she smirked back.

'Well, Pathfinder?' Addison asked impatiently.

Drack was going to kill him when he never heard the end of it from her. 'I don't like either of them. If I'm the casting vote then I'm going with Kesh's candidate, we discussed it yesterday. I'm surprised she hasn't brought it up yet. I'll have to leave her to fill you in, unfortunately,' he said standing and backing towards the door, 'I'm late for an urgent meeting with Rix.' He hoped Drack killed him. He didn't want Kesh to get to him first.

Making his way quickly to the tram station he put through the call. He needed saving and was fully prepared to go the damsel in distress route.

'Rix,' came the answer.

'Avi, please tell me you're free. I've done something terrible, and you're my alibi,' Scott whined. God, he sounded pathetic.

'What have you done this time?' came the cautious reply.

'I may have thrown Kesh under the bus to escape one of Tann's checkpoints. I was panicking because Sara has also done something terrible and I couldn't cope. Kesh may now also appoint an adjutant none of the Pathfinders can stand just to spite me and make you all hate me.'

'I want to say you have no honour. But I did the same last week after three hours of listening to them arguing about the ratio of levo-dextro protein synthesis. Nomad, five minutes?'

'You are my saviour, Avi!' Scott gushed.

'Ah, ha. I'm driving.'

The call cut off before Scott had the chance to complain. He might have punched the nav directory harder than necessary in frustration. He then smiled maniacally; far too much tooth if the looks of the other passengers were anything to go by. Soon he was out and making his way towards the makeshift vehicle hanger. He could spy Avitus calmly leaning against the driver side, the door of the Nomad open; his escape.

* * *

They didn't say anything until they had backed out of the hanger and were well on their way to crossing the main perimeter.

'So,' began the curious interrogation that Scott was surprised had taken this long to start. 'What did your sister do this time?'

Scott had barely opened his mouth to respond when his OmniTool blipped with the sound of an incoming message.

**Re: Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Ryder**

**From: Hawke, C**

**Scott,**

**Don't feel you have to just to humour me. I didn't think you'd remember me let alone ask me to dinner! I just wanted to say thanks. Really I didn't think you'd even bother reading all of the messages you must have been getting. If you really want to though I'm free at 9. **

**Carver x**

'I think I have a date tonight. I think I might be having a panic attack as well. How could she do this to me?' Scott whined and showed his friend the message history. Avi didn't slow down while he was reading either. Scott approved of the reckless endangerment, marvelled at it in fact when Avi looked up just in time to swerve around a low floating manta. He then swiftly went back to reviewing the holographic display shoved in his face.

'Why did you ask him out then? And why is it Sara's fault?'

'I didn't,' he ground out, 'she hacked my fucking email again.'

'Why do you think it's a date, maybe he just wants to thank you in person.'

Scott shook his head, chewing his lip as he ruminated. He had second-guessing himself down to an art form, but on this occasion, 'no. She gave him an out. She made it clear it wasn't a professional reply, and she offered him the option of going for a drink. He ignored that and only mentioned dinner. Even if I couldn't be sure from that; no one has dinner at 9 unless it's a date. It's too late in the evening.'

Avi made a subvocal grumble that Scott had come to think of as his own particular sound for putting his foot in it. 'The first time you took me out to dinner, it was also that time,' he said.

'It was?' Scott asked, scrunching his nose up as he tried to think back. 'Oh! That was different.'

'How?'

'We were already together, we lost track of time, we were hungry, and I said we should get something to eat! It wasn't an out of the blue invitation to dinner with someone you've had a crush on since you were nineteen and too afraid ever to talk to!' Scott knew how pathetic he sounded, and he deserved it if he got the piss ripped out of him.

'I still think you humans are strange. I do not understand your pointless mating rituals at all,' Avitus complained, thankfully, and probably wilfully, ignoring Scott's social ineptitude.

'I didn't ask you to save me because I was looking for stellar dating advice,' Scott yelled in frustration. Then, more contrite, he grumbled, 'I was about to have a panic attack in front of Tann. And a meeting with a pathfinder was the only way I could have gotten out of it without questions. Vederia would have spent the whole time laughing at me. And Hayjer, while also being a terrible choice for playing hooky, is seeing to repairs on the Paarchero.'

Avi growled. Actually growled. 'So I was the convenient third option then?'

'What?' Scott blurted in surprise, eyes bugging out, 'Avi, no. I called you because you're my friend. I didn't even think of asking anyone else. I'd probably be hiding in a cupboard somewhere rocking backwards and forwards and sucking my thumb if you hadn't answered.'

'Hmm. That's okay then,' came the gruff reply. Poor thing, Scott thought, as he shot him a winning grin, he's all emotional.

'Really though, you are terrible at dating advice.'

'For the last time Ryder, I did not know you were talking about some obscure courting ritual. It's not my fault things did not go the way you were intending.'

'I was expecting a date. Now I know how long your tongues are,' Scott groused, crossing his legs to hide his shame while a blush reddened his cheeks.

'I don't remember either of you complaining the next day. Well, except for how sore your…'

'Lalalalalalala,' Scott interrupted with his fingers in his ears. He was well aware of how sore his ass was thank you; Turian's kept getting thicker the nearer you got to the base. And apparently what starts off as the base when it first emerges ends up a third of the way up when they're ready to blow. He still couldn't work out how they fit all of that inside them with those tiny little waists.

'If you've never spoken to this man, why do you care what happens anyway?'

'I've been infatuated with Carver since I first saw him making a complete spectacle of himself. He was loudly complaining to his older brother about his woe is me life in front of a few hundred members of the diplomatic corps and military brass on Arcturus. It was hilarious.' A beep signalled another message which caused him to choke as he read it. Avi immediately grabbed his arm to take a look, nearly steering them over the three-meter drop into the rapids whose course they had been following.

**Fw: Re: Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Ryder**

**From: Hawke, C**

**I meant because of how busy you must be, not because I think you're a dick!**

**Carver xx**

Releasing Scott's arm once he'd read it and correcting their course just before the first of the rear wheels followed the front one over the edge, Avitus made what might have been a pensive humming sound. 'He doesn't seem to treat you with the same respect many others do for your role as Pathfinder.'

'I know,' Scott sighed, 'he talks to me like I'm a normal person.'

'You should look on the bright side, even if you screw up completely you might still get something out of it.'

'And what might that be?'

'What is it Sara calls it, a pitiful duck?'

'A pity fuck,' Scott ground out; there was his temporarily forgotten hatred of his twin, back in its proper place.

'That's it!' Avitus chimed out, far too cheerfully for any Turian, let alone one having this conversation. 'I'm sure when you ruin your chances with this Carver human, Braxus would happily give you a follow-up lesson in Turian reproductive biology.'

That prompted a snorted giggle. Scott couldn't help himself. 'The support is appreciated.'

'De nada.'

'Sara is going to kill you when she finds out you got to him first. I'm not sure how I feel about you letting Reyes corrupt your delicate Turian sensibilities,' he sniffed haughtily.

'Now I know how wide your tongues are.'

'Aargh!' he bleated. Avitus spent most of the journey back laughing at him while sharing at significant volume what his corruption had so far entailed. Once they'd parked, Scott made his escape as swiftly as he could. After a well deserved hug for his most distractionary friend, of course.

* * *

**Re: Fw: Re: Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Hawke, C**

**From: Ryder**

**I'm glad because I didn't take it that way! 9 is great for me unless there's an emergency. I promise not to manufacture one!**

**Do you have a preference for Asari or Earth food?**

**Scott xxx**

He sent the reply as soon as he'd made it back to his apartment without running into any uncomfortable conversations. Like Avi said, maybe not in so many words but it was what Scott chose to take from it, what did he have to lose really. He didn't even know his crush was in Andromeda. Before this morning, the man had died six hundred years ago and didn't bear thinking about any more than any of the other things that sometimes made him curl up in bed and sob like a little child. The three x's were just for consistency. He could feel SAM roll his artificially intelligent eyes at his wilful if not blissful feigning of ignorance.

Surprisingly he didn't have to wait long for a response.

**Re: Re: Fw: Re: Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Ryder**

**From: Hawke, C**

**If there is one, it'll probably be my fault. I'm good with either but the foods better at Sariah's, she's had a few centuries more practice. I did try to flirt with her the last time I was in and she just laughed at me so it might be a bit awkward though.**

**Feel free to say no, because I'm still pretty sure I've got the wrong end of the stick here, but I have some steaks I've been saving for a special occasion. Genuine earth cow.**

**Let me know, either way, I'll have to swing by storage for them if I'm cooking. **

**Carver xxx**

Huh. Scott was keeping to three kisses for consistency as forced upon him by his devil sister's attempt to ruin his life. He couldn't really take any away, or it would look weird. Carver was adding them though. And Scott was focusing on that rather than the heavily implied assumption by Carver that this was, in fact, a date. At his place. Where he would be cooking his special occasion steaks for Scott. Scott, who was pretty sure the only reason he wasn't hyperventilating was because of SAM.

_"Yes, Ryder. I have been modifying your sympathetic nervous system throughout the day. This is one of the more severe alterations I have had to make. Perhaps you should focus your attention elsewhere. Mr Hawke will be expecting a reply, and I understand that on such occasions humans are expected to spend an inordinate amount of time changing their clothes in order to be slightly late."_

He looked down at his usual runabout uniform. Shit. Fuck my life. 'Really not helping SAM,' he groused aloud.

SAM followed suit. Sometimes he felt less nuts if the voices inside his head were talking aloud. Yes, he knew how that sounded. 'Ryder, Sara has advised me on previous occasions that she obtains the best results by wearing tight revealing clothing. That would eliminate up to eight per cent of your wardrobe.'

Ninety-two per cent of his clothes were tight or revealing? Wait, that wasn't the issue here. 'Sara is a slut,' he said fondly.

'Sara has been on six dates with four individuals since she recovered from her sickness and has slept with two of them, both on the second date. You have been on no dates since arriving in Andromeda and slept with both of them. I believe the human expression regarding lapidation within transparent domiciles applies in this situation.'

Scott shuddered. 'First of all, never tell me anything about my sister's sex life, which can cause me to picture it. Or at all. Let's go with at all. Second of all, your job is to support me in my delusions of having a perfect love life no matter how far from reality that may be. And C, it's throwing stones in glass houses, and SAM you really need to work on your delivery.'

'I was not joking Ryder.'

'Second of all, SAM, second of all.' If SAM did reply Scott resolutely and successfully ignored him, forming the perfect reply to Carver instead. Witty but not trying too hard, punchy but not too short, classy but...

**Re: Re: Re: Fw: Re: Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Hawke, C**

**From: Ryder**

**Oh my god, I love steak, I haven't had any for so long, and now I'm drooling! I will do literally anything if you know how to cook it properly!**

**Scott xxx**

After bashing his head against the wall a few times, he admitted SAM may have had a point and went to dig out the ninety-two per cent of his wardrobe that had potential. After discarding his booty shorts and open-sided tanks, he was down to a more manageable twenty. Ten once he decided the jocks probably were a hard pass. What the hell did he think he was going to be spending all his time doing in another galaxy?

**Re: Re: Re: Re: Fw: Re: Re: Thanks, I guess.**

**To: Ryder**

**From: Hawke, C**

**;) trust me, I know how to cook it perfectly!**

**Habitation section C5, no. 352. 9pm don't be late!**

**Carver xxx**

Wait, was he flirting by accident? Or was Carver just ignoring him and flirting anyway. Deciding whether he was righteously laughed at or if he was inexplicably competent gave him a stress headache far too often and easily, so he chose not to think about it and panic about what to wear instead.

He knew when he was beaten and opened a comlink, 'Reyes, I need to dress for a date, and I don't know what to wear.'

* * *

8:59. By the time Scott has decided whether or not it was acceptable to ring the buzzer early, or if waiting till dead on nine would appear too anal, it was 9:04 and SAM had lost patience.

Carver was not how Scott remembered him. He was thicker, hairier, obviously older, looking less like an angry, spoiled brat with striking cheekbones, and more like someone comfortable with who he was. With still striking cheekbones. Something in Scott released and a good part of the tension he was carrying was able to dissipate. It allowed a small but genuine smile to replace the forced grin he had felt himself wearing the moment before the door opened. The boy he had a crush on didn't exist any more; it didn't matter what happened tonight, the worst case was they'd never speak to each other again.

'Not what you were expecting?' the man Carver had grown up into asked.

That voice went straight to certain places of Scott's, which explained why his brain thought a brilliant response was, 'no!' Well, so much for relaxing. 'Err,' he began then decided the proper thing to do was panic, 'you have a beard.' Carver's eyebrow was raised, and Scott could feel SAM slow clapping him.

'It's good to see you,' Carver said and stepped to the side waving Scott in. He was pretty sure his sidekick was moving his body for him. He couldn't possibly be managing it himself.

The door slid shut, and they stood looking at each other for what felt like a scarily long time.

'Are you nervous?' Carver asked. He said it with a smile, but it seemed to be disarming not disparaging.

'No,' Scott chocked out and immediately found himself saddened by being the one to make that smile drop. Carver didn't look quite so sure anymore and was rubbing his hands together, Scott noticed.

'I am,' he said, forcing his eyes to return to Scott's even though they kept darting away like they were trying to escape the situation. Scott didn't have much choice about where he was looking, deer in the headlights he was, staring into his doom. 'I'm pretty sure you are too, but this,' he gestured between the two of them, 'isn't going to go much beyond my entryway if you start the night off lying to me about it.'

Scott gulped and sucked in a breath, brain rebooting enough to explain. 'I wasn't lying. I was obfuscating. I'm not nervous. I'm fucking terrified. Mostly because I'm a complete dork.'

Carver chuckled. 'I'm aware of that, it's why I had a crush on you when I was on Arcturus.' His cheeks reddened where they weren't covered by a wonderfully thick black beard at his admission while Scott's eyes widened. 'So, would you like to come in, take a seat, we can get to know each other a bit, I can cook you a perfect steak, you can gush over my unsurpassed meat searing abilities, and I'll only tease you a little bit about your promise to do literally anything in return?'

Carver had a massive grin on his face by the time he'd hit his punchline, leaving Scott to release a groaning whine, cover his face with his hands and peek out through his fingers while he begged, 'please, can we pretend I never sent that?'

The booming laugh was worth the embarrassment really as Carver lead him to sit on a plush loveseat while he went to get drinks. 'Not a chance,' he said, handing a beer to Scott. 'I've got a leaky tap I need you to fix, that email is proof, and I'm going to use this story to embarrass you and our adopted Angaran babies.' Scott choked and spluttered on a mouthful of beer and glared at his date. It didn't have much of an effect, only getting a smarmy grin in return.

He sighed. May as well start with something they had in common. 'I had a crush on you too,' he admitted and was surprised as Carver also looked astonished upon hearing it.

'I wish I'd know that. I thought you didn't like me. Though really, knowing you're here now, I'm kind of glad we didn't do anything about it back then.'

'I was surprised when I found out you were here and it kind of brought it back. And then I was worried all day that you'd be like you were back then. I have a notoriously awful taste in men, and given the last one used me as a decoy to assassinate his rival, I wasn't sure I was over it.' He paused when he saw Carvers eyebrows both shoot up. 'Oh, nothing to worry about, we're good friends now. He helped me dress for tonight,' he said with a grin. Then realised what he said and covered his face with a cushion when Carver burst out laughing.

He refused to drop his shield, wasn't really sure how his face wasn't immolating it until a hand gently grasped his wrist and pulled it away, causing the cushion to drop to his lap. Carver was still shaking a little but no longer laughing out loud. 'I'm going to keep doing that you know, being awkward and saying stupidly embarrassing things.'

Carvers smile grew. 'God, I hope so. It's what made me notice you back then. I'd never seen someone go through life so socially inept and surrounded by so many people who really liked you because you were incapable of subterfuge. Everyone knew exactly what they were getting, and I'd spent my life growing up around people hiding themselves and tempering every word and action.'

'Oh,' Scott replied eloquently, somewhat shell shocked. He didn't realise people actually saw him that way rather than as a tolerable fool who'd accidentally fallen into an inescapable position of responsibility and authority. 'I'm glad you changed.' And shit he'd done it again.

The grip on his wrist tightened a fraction of a second before he could grasp for his cushion shield to cover his wince though. 'I was a bit of a spoiled brat, wasn't I?'

'Yes,' Scott agreed, 'but that wasn't all it was though. There was this anger at the world you radiated like you couldn't contain it as though you were bottling it all up and there was so much that it seeped out all over the place. I was scared that I'd be what pushed you over an edge.'

'For someone so awkward and stupidly embarrassing you're scarily perceptive you know,' Carver muttered softly. 'I think, if you had back then, you would have helped, I don't think you can do anything else. But going over the edge was inevitable. I would have broken eventually and might have broken you too, so I'm glad I've changed too.'

'You look happier. Healthier.'

'I've lost a lot, but I've gained a lot too. I'm comfortable with who I am now.'

'I get that,' Scott said and then smirked, 'I'm not even remotely comfortable with who I am, but I am comfortable with that now. I think I'll always be lovably neurotic.'

They glossed over Carver's dead sister and his missing brother, skirted around the jagged edges that were left by Alec and a mother in deep freeze, learning the scars were there to cover in the future without spoiling the present with clouds of depressing morbidity. Carver's unregistered biotic family flying under the radar and Scott's AI building parents would leave plenty to discuss in the future.

'So, it's maybe a bit later than I was planning on, but I'm starving, I hope you still want those steaks.'

Scott's belly let out a baleful grumble in answer, 'I think that's your answer,' he said with a chuckle.

He was lead into the kitchen to sit at the bar while he watched Carver work. Most of the preparation done in advance, leaving just the skillet to heat and the trimmings to put out. It was late, they'd been talking for over two hours, he was tipsy from three bottles of beer, and it was the most comfortable conversation he'd ever had. No matter how often he put his foot in his mouth or what about this amazing man seemed to speak fluent Scott and knew precisely what he meant.

'So,' Scott began the questions again over the sizzle of searing meat, 'what is it you do here?'

'If you can believe it, I'm a psychologist.' He paused, flipping the steak, before looking back up. 'I was woken fairly early because of the shit storm we arrived to. People being woken up after six-hundred years to find out it's not all roses like they were promised. I specialise in biotic presentation and integration though, so mostly work with teenagers. A few late bloomers, or people who continue to have issues into adulthood as well.'

Munching on a carrot stick, Scott thought about it for a while. 'I didn't know that was a thing. I mean, I suppose it makes sense, but I don't think it was even suggested when I presented.'

The food was plated up and presented as Carver joined him. Any response was delayed further as Scott cut into his steak like it was butter and then let out a pornographic moan as he took his first bite. When he gathered the will to look to his side, he was met with a substantial grin hiding a blush on Carver's surprisingly close face. Scott gulped.

'I'll take that as a compliment, shall I?' Carver just grinned bigger as Scott nodded feebly in response before turning back to his own food. 'I guess you didn't need it.' Scott was confused for a moment until he realised Carver had returned to their earlier conversation. 'Your Dad was an N7, used to working with biotics, your mum developed the L2 and L3 implants, she was a pioneer. I suppose a human couldn't ask for a better environment to present in. It was different for my sister and brother. Dad presented as an adult, so it was like we were all in hiding, hoping no one would catch on. Some parents blame themselves and think that it's their fault their kids are…different, damaged. Thinking like that doesn't help the kids adjust. Some kids are abandoned, some fall into crowds that think biotics are better. Some don't make it.' Carver went quiet then, and they both ate in silence for a while. 'Sorry, it's not all miserable, I decided to do this to make things better, and a lot of the time it does get better for people.'

'It's okay,' Scott said softly. He bumped his shoulder into Carver's, 'you obviously care about it. I like knowing what you care about.' They both had small smiles on their faces as they turned to look at each other again and Carver bumped into him in response. Once they'd finished eating, he stood to clear their plates then leant on the opposite side of the bar facing Scott.

'So, what is it you do here?' It took a minute for Carver's question to register as Scott was preoccupied with determining the exact shade of blue the eyes staring questioningly back at him were.

'Errr,' he answered, eloquent as always. 'Making a fool of myself, being incredibly cute and endearing. Hoping that this has gone well enough, we can forgo dessert, and you'll move straight on to kissing me.' Carver had surged across the table to meet Scott's lips before he'd even finished his sentence, so the last few words were muffled. He thought about continuing but decided he'd better start kissing back just in case Carver got the idea he ever wanted to stop.

Scott's lips were rough from all his nervous chewing and a recent trip to Voeld so feeling them rub over Carver's surprisingly smooth ones made his toes curl. He made a pitiful noise when they pulled away from him, and he leant further forward to chase them. A pout appeared when he opened them to find their owner grinning at his distress. 'You like me,' Carver said, smirk not subsiding.

'Is it that obvious,' Scott groused, deadpan, not really a question. He really didn't need to be teased. It had been too long without any for teasing to be welcomed.

He just got a nod in return before Carver pushed himself away from the counter and made his way around to Scott. Before he knew what had happened, he had spun around in his stool, and his splayed legs were being forced further apart to make way for the other man's width as he pushed closed. Carver's face was close and larger hands came up to gently hold Scott's head. 'I know this is a bit fast, so absolutely feel free to say no with no hard feelings,' Carver said, 'and we're still having date number one, but I'd really like it if you stayed.'

Scott was a slut. 'Yes, please.' He just hoped that this time it was going to be a long monogamous slutting. Except where otherwise agreed and negotiated. Lips pressing back into his and then a tongue seeking entry quickly put paid to any reasonable higher though processed or worries. They were both moaning into each other's mouths, and Scott could feel where they were pressed together that at least for now they were both on precisely the same page.

The kiss was broken but before he could let out another whinge the feeling of his neck being bitten forced a groan from Scott, which turned into a high pitched breathy whine as the teeth made it to his ear. Given that the sound had Carver bucking against him, he couldn't find it within himself to be embarrassed. He saved that for the whimper he let out when Carver whispered in his ear. 'Would you find it particularly emasculating if I picked you up carried you to the bed and threw you on it before taking all our clothes off.'

Once he was sure he wasn't going to go off just from being carried, he managed to squeak out, 'not at all, emasculate, carry, throw and disrobe away.' He may have yelped when hands made their way under his ass and lifted him up. Still, the massive grin on his face stayed plastered on long after he was thrown unceremoniously onto the bed.

Sara was the best sister in the universe!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated but don't feel obligated! :)
> 
> I'm also on twitter @bgiific


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